Parcours Alta gravel wheelset review
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British brand Parcours has forged a reputation for bringing quality and affordable wheelsets to a broader cycling demographic, and its range spans most disciplines as a result. We’ve reviewed the Parcours Alta wheelset before - in both 700c and 650b guises - and came away with mixed opinions (you can read Dave's Alta 700c verdict and Matt's Alta 650b concerns by clicking the following links) but the brand reckons it’s ironed out all the freehub niggles that plagued these earlier models.
We tested them during an uncharacteristically hot and dusty British summer in an effort to establish where they stand among the leading proponents in the best gravel wheels category.
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Parcours Alta gravel wheelset - Aesthetics
Visually, the Alta gravel wheels adhere to the Parcours design philosophy we've come to expect, utilising a matte-black hoop treatment with matching black-on-black gloss graphics. This stealthy aesthetic will complement most bike colour schemes and can be pushed even further with the addition of custom graphics - a service that costs £75 per colour or £150 for a full-rim design.
Pair the Alta wheels with a contrasting tan-walled tyre and you get one of the better-looking gravel wheel systems around - they truly have a premium-looking feel about them.
Parcours Alta gravel wheelset - Technical details
The MY2022 Parcours Alta gravel wheels are built around a 36mm-deep rim profile - this allows for some semblance of aerodynamic proficiency while still offering a great deal of compliance, too - something an off-road-specific wheelset needs in spades. The tubeless-specific design panders to the growing rhetoric around wider is better, and subsequently boasts a 33mm external and 24mm internal rim width, up from a respective 31 and 21.5mm on its predecessor.
One thing I appreciate when it comes to any wheel in the Parcours range is the ease of tyre fitment, which requires neither levers nor a compressor. As a result, I fitted a brace of 38mm Specialized Pathfinder Pro 2Bliss Ready tyre by hand and inflated using a traditional floor pump. The rims have been optimised for gravel tyres between 38mm and 50mm and can also accommodate a 28mm road tyre should you wish to go faster on tarmac adventures.
Spoke-wise, Parcours has laced the Altas in a two-cross, 28 front/rear spoke pattern replete with Parcours-branded aluminium hubs. This particular spoke-lacing configuration is incredibly strong and makes for a stiff wheelset. The hubs are CentreLock in application, utilise high-grade EZO cartridge bearing hubs and cater to the 12mm thru-axle front and rear standard - but conversion kits are available.
In terms of weight, the Parcours Alta wheelset tipped my scales at 1,490g (690g front/800g rear) with valves and rim tape pre-fitted - very competitive at this price point.
Parcours Alta gravel wheelset - Performance
A big concern on previous iterations of the Parcours Alta we’ve tested all stemmed from the freehub. While somewhat basic in design given the four-pawl, 26-tooth ratchet arrangement, the hub itself was deemed not at fault by Parcours but rather the grease which can become too viscous in colder temperatures. While my testing was carried out almost exclusively during summer, I did have one or two rides in single-digit temperatures where the rear hub performed faultlessly.
In fact, if I were to nitpick it’s more the hub's pick-up (13.8-degree angle of engagement) that let things down - but it's a negligible foible. The Parcours Alta wheels, however, don't profess to compete at the high-performance end of the gravel wheel spectrum. They’re more of an everyday, adventure gravel wheelset that can be used during racing conditions. According to Parcours, the company did look at upgrading the hub with slightly quicker engagement but decided against it because increasing the tooth count on the ratchet ring reduces the area of the engagement surface and reliability is more important than outright performance.
When it comes to toughness, the Alta wheels are up to the task. The new hookless rim design and flatter rim edge have removed stress concentration around the rim edge, allowing for added flexibility that bolsters impact protection and compliance. Parcours calls this technology IMPACT+ which protects the rim edge against bottoming out when running super-low tyre pressures. This sense of security allows you to ride harder, push further and have the confidence to negotiate technical sections of trails you’d have previously avoided.
My gravel test track is a pretty technical 40km loop that charts its way through cross-country mountain biking-style terrain. Steps, drop-offs and rooty singletrack comprise much of the topography but the Parcours Altas dismissed it all - confidently.
Of course, a lot of that added grip and confidence comes down to tyre choice and pressure but the wider 24mm internal rim profile has provided a better contact patch and option to drop the psi even more. At 62kg, my go-to tyre pressure setup is around 32/32 front/rear but went even lower on the Altas - settling on 29/30 front/rear. This provided far better grip and front-end trust, to such an extent that I was faster on many of the Strava segments that make up my test loop.
Out on the trail, gravel roads and even tarmac, the Altas deliver feelsome and responsive performance levels. Despite the stiffness - an upshot when powering along straight, rolling terrain - the wheels have a certain degree of compliance and forgiveness, which boosts ride quality and keeps them in contact with the terrain. At 36mm deep, they won't trouble you should the crosswinds enter the mix. If anything, they behave predictably in most situations.
Parcours Alta gravel wheelset - Verdict
Based on our previous experiences with the Parcours Alta gravel wheels, I came into the test a little apprehensive but still fairly confident based on my previous experience with the brand’s other wheel offerings - the Strada and Chrono to be precise.
The best gravel wheelset space is flooded with quality options, many of which preach the same 'lighter, wider and affordable' doctrine. As a result, the Parcours Alta gravel wheelset goes up against some stiff competition. The £950 Halo Carbaura XCD Carbon Gravel wheelset that Stu reviewed is heavier and made using the same principles, including a similar 35mm deep profile and 26mm internal rim width but they're £51 dearer. You can't ignore the £870 Scribe Carbon Wide++ 700 Disc wheelset that Matt raved about either - they're lighter, possess a marginally wider internal rim width and come in £29 cheaper.
The Parcours Alta gravel wheels didn’t disappoint. It’s good to see that the freehub issues were isolated and down to the brand initially using the wrong grease. During the two months of testing, the freehub held up without fail and the wheels behaved no matter what came their way. Sure, they’re not as flashy or exotically specced when compared to some of their rivals, but they can withstand blow after blow on tough trails, zip across open gravel roads at speed and provide tactile levels of grip on any terrain type. Based on their hardiness alone, I'd recommend the Parcours Altas to anyone looking for a bulletproof gravel wheelset that won't break the bank.